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Despite new guidelines from the FAA, delay times at La Guardia and Newark airports worsened from last year. In contrast, delay times at Kennedy airport improved slightly from last year. Officials blamed Mother Nature as a culprit, citing unexpectedly stormy weather.

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Passenger wait times in Customs and Border Protection areas of Metro New York-area airports dropped significantly after airlines paid for installation of automated passport kiosks, according to the Global Gateway Alliance. Average wait times decreased 33% at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport and by more than 15% at New Jersey's Newark Liberty airport, compared with the first six months of last year.

A congressional panel chaired by Rep. Frank LoBiondo held a hearing at Atlantic City International Airport on proposed funding cuts to NextGen, the satellite-based air traffic control system that will eventually replace the current radar-based system. NextGen, which the FAA hopes to have in place by 2025, is vital to reducing delays and increasing capacity at all three New York-area airports, according to supporters.

Sleeping at the airport is becoming more common for both budget and business travelers as airlines cut back on hotel vouchers for canceled flights. After a sleepless night at a German airport, business traveler Frank Giotto invented the Mini Motel, a one-person tent that features an air mattress, pillow and alarm clock.

The Air Transport Association sent Transportation Secretary Mary Peters a letter proposing changes to operations and technology and supporting a faster New York-area air space redesign. The changes could reduce delays by about 14% -- without imposing schedule caps, according to ATA officials. Read ATA's letter.

Efforts to ease congestion at John F. Kennedy International Airport could have the unintended side effect of worsening delays at nearby airports -- including Newark Liberty International Airport. Acting Federal Aviation Administrator Robert Sturgell said he was "concerned about spillover" to other New York-area airports.